Oregon Considers Adopting a Wolf Hunt

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission scheduled a vote in January to determine whether to adopt a wolf management plan that includes hunting.

The latest count, conducted in 2016, shows Oregon has a minimum population of 112 animals. Wolves are no longer federally protected as endangered in Oregon west of Highways 395, 78 and 95 since the population reached 81 wolves in 2016.

One rancher told the Associated Press that he lost an estimated $50,000 due to wolf depredations and weight loss from his livestock. In early November 2017, a hunter shot and killed a wolf in self defense.

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundations maintains that state wildlife agencies should manage wolves just as they manage elk, mountain lions, deer, bears and other wildlife as per the North American Wildlife Conservation Model.